Virtual Encounter 2
by Alexandra I
Summary: Now that Anastasia and Christian are together, could a baby in their life bring changes and make them re-evaluate their relationship? Please note this story is a sequel of Virtual Encounter, posted on FanFiction under the author's name of Flash'n'Burn. The completed story is still online and available for you to read it.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone,**

**Please note this story is a sequel of Virtual Encounter, posted on FanFiction under the name of Flash'n'Burn.**

**There are quite a lot of you following the story so at this time I am posting only a snippet, hoping to help you smoothly move from one author's profile to another. **

**Hope you'll enjoy it! **

*** Your comments are appreciated, as always :D ***

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It's early in the morning when I open my eyes and the first thing I'm aware of is our naked bodies, our limbs, knotted together, both of us holding on to the other. My mind awakens too and everything comes flooding back.

In the past four weeks I've been living in a dream. I have my brother, next to me. There is still so much to learn about him. It's like meeting your best friend after sixteen years and you want to catch up. You want to understand his life.

I never thought I would say this but for the first time in my life I think it's good my father is dead. I still cannot believe what he'd done to his own son. He would have been prosecuted if he was alive although, I probably would have killed him. My mother was in shock for weeks. She spent most the time in the hospital. They didn't think she will make it but Gordon came through for her. He talked to her, singed to her, all the things he remember she'd done for him, he did for her. Helped by old photographs, all the pieces of the puzzle connected. For both of them.

I couldn't stop crying for weeks too. Each time I would see him it was like remembering my time without him, alone. And it hurt. Still does. I know he is hurting too although he doesn't say it. His parents, the one who raised him were questioned by the police for days. Condemned by everyone, both of them ended up in hospital, just like my mother. It was all about the life of a little boy, who grew up to become the most wonderful man, and all thanks to the people who raised him. Their only fault? They never said a word to him, not even that he was adopted. They loved him too much. Childless for years, they thought adoption was the answer. Going through the right channels, everything they did was legal. The paperwork was correct. Even the police were baffled at how my father managed to provide that.

"Your eyelashes are fluttering on my chest." Christian's raspy voice merges reality with my dreamlike state. "Are you okay?"

I look up at him but his eyes are still closed and he has a content smile on his face.

"Just counting my blessings."

He tightens his grip around my body and lifts his sleepy head, his steely grey locking mine in place. "You should stop doing that and sleep." He pushes his knee between my legs and slots his thigh in. "Unless..."

The sound of the door bell surprises us both and we look at each other.

"Who could that be?" I see the time on the bed side table. "Nine o'clock on Saturday morning?"

"I have no idea." Slowly, he untangles our limbs and gets out of the bed, searching for his slacks and t-shirt. Having found them on the floor he dresses up and goes out of the room. "I'm coming!" He shouts.

I hear the front door opening, Christian talking with someone and the door closing again. And, silence.

"Christian? Who was that?" In a moment I see him walking in the bedroom, looking at a letter he is holding in his hand.

"What's wrong?"

"A letter." He looks at me with doom. "It's from the hospital."

My heart starts pumping adrenaline within seconds. Slowly, I take a deep breath and try to act as if nothing is happening but, deep down, I know this affects me much more than I think. Christian has been fighting his own demons these past four weeks and I haven't said anything. At night, when he was dreaming I would hear him scream Adele's name. Or talk softly, like to a baby. I don't know what to think about it. It's all too confusing.

"The paternity test?"

"Yes." He sits down on the bed, staring at the envelope.

"Christian," I put my hand on his shoulder, "whatever it says in there, it's okay."

He doesn't respond. We sit in silence for a moment before he makes up his mind and with new found resolve, he opens the envelope, takes the letter out and starts reading it.

I observe his face to get an inclination of what it says but he is holding on to his impassive look for a while. And then, I see his chest rising slowly, he is trying to calm himself down and he closes his eyes tight, frowning. I don't understand...out of his scrunched face I see a tear rolling down his cheek. The letter drops to the ground and he covers his face with his hands. I see his shoulders moving. His is crying. _Crying!_

"Christian?!" Now I'm really worried. "Christian, what does it say?"


	2. Chapter 2

Hi guys,

Here is chapter two for your pleasure.

I sincerely hope you'll like it and, more is coming shortly, I promise.

I am always very happy when you leave me your feedback and tell me your thoughts. Don't be shy, just one word is enough.

Just like the last time, CG's POV was written by Sir John ( SirxJohn on twitter)

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**Now, s****ome of you may know that I have published "Virtual Encounter" under the name of "Flash Burn" on Amazon. Of course, it stands as a separate story and I am publishing it in four parts.**

**What I want to tell you is that since this is my first published novelette, I am giving away a brand new Kindle on Saturday, 5th April (five days from now).**

**And yes, I am aware that most of you already have a Kindle and don't really need another one, but… think of your friends, relatives, someone who needs to be converted into a new way of reading. Surely with such a present they'll be willing to change their mind, right?**

**Anyway…to keep it short, in order to be in the draw, you need to get the first part of "Flash Burn" and leave me a review on Amazon in the next five days. Remember, this is my first novelette; I don't know if only two people will do this favor for me or 100, but the odds for you winning the Kindle are better than the lottery.**

**More info you'll find on my facebook page**

**www facebook com / AlexandraIAuthor**

**Mwah! Alexandra**

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**Christian's POV.**

The knock on the door interrupts my rising manhood and pulls me away from the one place in the world I feel most at home, holding Anastasia in my arms. It takes a moment to disconnect our bodies and when my feet hit the floor, the mess we left behind us last night in our passion, shocks me. I am normally so careful to keep things tidy and organized. My life. My house. My relationships. But in the last four weeks I have let go and simply, let myself be in love.

At the same time, my need for Ana has burned even more brightly. She has become my world. I cannot stop touching her, looking at her, drowning in her presence every moment of my day. And while loving her has been part of the need, there has been an element of escape in it as well. With every passing day, the desire to leave my past behind has grown. My dreams never stopped, that dreadful day when I had to make a choice that defined me is still in the background, looming. But for the first time in my life, I'm also dreaming about a possible future. A life as a husband, and in time, perhaps as a father. Someone who protects and nurtures, not just someone who took a life.

Kicking a pair of shoes away I spot my trousers. I turn my head towards Ana as I pick them and I see her sleepy eyes watching me. I give her a crooked smile that says "I see you" and then I hear the knock again. Scooping up a T-shirt I head to the door.

Unlatching the bolt, the daylight through the clouds makes me squint and the postman laughs.

"Getting a bit of a late start on the day Mr. Grey?" he says.

I run a hand through my hair and chuckle. "There's no law against sleeping in, Jeffrey, and besides everyone needs rest." Jeffrey has been my postman for the last several years, and, like everyone who makes regular appearances in my life, I've taken pains to get to know him. His daughter is getting ready to head off to University and he beams with pride with every chance he gets to talk about her. Just as I'm about to ask I notice the address on the envelope; it's the hospital.

"Thank you, Jeffrey. See you round tomorrow." I cut short out conversation.

I know my face cannot be read but this time I'm not so sure. I feel my heart beating in my throat. I swallow and that right there is a dead giveaway. Jeffry's friendly eyes meet mine as I sign for the letter; I'm sure he recognized the look of someone suddenly lost in what might be in their hands. He says nothing; just waves and walks away.

I stand there looking at the letter. I know it has to be the paternity test. I've been waiting, trying to think of anything else but this. My whole body is perspiring, I'm getting hot. This….I haven't felt like this before.

I walk back to the bedroom holding the envelope and hear Ana's voice but I can't make out what she's asking. "What's wrong?" she asks again.

"A letter." I look at her. She looks so unaware of how painful this is. "It's from the hospital."

Her eyebrows crinkle as she processes that.

"The paternity test?"

"Yes," is all I can say. I sit down on the bed and she moves over near me, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Christian, whatever it says in there is okay."

I'm not sure if I agree, but I'm suddenly reminded that she is watching me and my habit of self control reasserts itself. I take a deep breath and rip open the envelope. Pulling the paper out, I scan the officious and jargon filled document for the one statement I care about.

There is a 0.000013% chance of paternity.

I read and re-read the last line of the letter and….my heart breaks. It simply collapses in on itself as I lose the ability to even hold the paper in my hand. _I'm still under control…_ but what for? All I ever wanted to be is a father and ...fathers feel.. don't they? I _need_ to be a father…

My hands cover my face, hiding tears I never thought I'd shed. … _Why the fuck I am crying?_ But I can't stop, my heart is broken. I'm crying out of loss, desperation, and pain. My haunted past is still here…I have nothing left to hide it with. I have no future. I have only this moment of intense, brutal separation from my own secret hopes.

"Christian?!" I hear Ana. "Christian, what does it say?"

I can't answer…I am lost in blackness. The black hole that has been eating me from the inside for years. Then something else begins to well up. The black turns to red.

"It says I should have never hoped for something I can't have." My voice is acid with bitterness.

"Christian, it's okay. We still have each other. We can still build a life together." She looks at me with those eyes that usually melt me.

But today they only inflame me. She has so much hope. But hope is an illusion. A grand mystery revealed to be a shriveled old man behind a curtain pulling strings.

"Don't you fucking get it? I've wanted this more than anything! More than I should have! And look what happened?"

My words pour out, and in my mind everything is connected. My stepfather. The baby. Anastasia. All of it like a grand spiderweb.

Ana looks at me. Hurt. Confused. It only makes me more angry. "Are you really that dense?" I rage at her.

Now her face contorts in something else. Something like a pain I know all too well, but it doesn't register why.

I storm out of the house and out the door. The cold of the concrete doesn't even register. I am fuming. My rage has no limits. I feel raindrops. They cling to my shirt and then pelt my face gently. Then harder.

I start to run. Barefoot. The rain begins to pour. I am soaked in a moment but my mind and body are disconnected right now. I'm not thinking. I am simply feeling. And the feeling is anything but good.

When my burning lungs stop me, I look around. I am at the river. A man in a car looks at me through his windshield as I stand barefoot on the banks of the swirling mass of water. Only then do I realize how far I've run. And looking out into the hazy grey horizon, all I can do is feel the pain surge through me. And I embrace it.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi guys,

Here it is, Ana's POV. I hope you didn't wait long for this chapter.

And as always, I would appreciate any feedback you give me. Don't be shy, one word is enough.

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**Most of you who follow me on facebook and twitter are aware that the second part of "Flash burn" is live on Amazon as of today. Just like the last time, there will be a Kindle giveaway so please check out my AlexandraIAuthor fb fan page if you wish, for more details.**

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**Ana POV.**

_What just happened? _Why did he leave? He was crying…_crying?_ He's only cried in his dreams, when he's had those nightmares, the ones he doesn't want to talk about anymore.

I still don't understand. I stupidly believed he loved me, when, all he wanted was a baby with Adele.

My heart sinks.

Utterly confused I look up towards the sound of the door slamming. Hurt. I know the tears will come in abundance in a short while, but, right now, my mind is looking for a reason. Anything to give me an explanation for his reaction.

_He was fucking crying…_

He never told _me_ he wanted a baby. I would have given him a baby. Obviously, not right now but...fuck! After all he's done for me, for my brother...this is it? This is what is comes to?

And it happens; I feel it, the biggest wave crashes over me and drowns me in emotions I've never experienced before. I was always the one leaving. My heart was hurt only once, and I kept it broken for my brother to set me free, which he did, thanks to Christian. But now, now I've let myself go...gave my heart little too easy. All I wanted in return was love.

_His love._

I try to take a breath but I struggle, my sobbing has come to an end and it's reaching for new heights. Needing air. I'm blubbering and making sounds that resemble a little helpless child, not a grown woman.

This is the end. Even if he comes back right now, how will he explain the words he said: _I've wanted this more than anything!_ There is no going back from that right there.

I scream and I cry for the next hour. My eyes are red and my face swollen from all the crying, when I realise I'm the one who has to leave. Not him. This is his apartment.

I get up and look around. I've been living here for the past month, my apartment is rented and the only place I can go to is my brother's. I don't even know what to take with me. I just want to leave and forget. _How did this happen? Why didn't I see it?_

I put my trainers on and before I leave, I look back; I want to absorb the best moments of my life. Because I know this is it. No more love for me. Or happiness.

I don't want to be bitter, even though it kills me inside, but good luck to him. Adele will give him a baby eventually and he'll be happy.

I take a deep breath, sighing out loud and breaking again into a sob I turn to leave. I cry silently and shake my head_, was all this real?_ All blocked, teary and disorientated I fail to see the heels on the floor and I don't even realise when I stagger and fall down. I fall on the floor with a silent thud and all my weight seems to fall on my shoulder. The pain in my arm shoots like an arrow through me and…. I welcome it. It serves me right for being so stupid. I cry out as I turn to my side and scream.

"_Why? WHY? What have I done to you?"_

There must be someone looking down on me and each time they see me even remotely happy, I'm being punished.

The pain is getting the better of me now but using all my strength, I manage to get up, take my bag with me and slam the door behind me.

I wipe the tears from my face; I know it's no use; I look like shit, all red, blotchy and swollen. I don't care. Holding my hurt arm with my hand, almost limping, I take the elevators downstairs.

Seeing that outside is pouring with rain, I walk directly onto the large cold droplets, but... it doesn't feel like any other time. The hurt is still there, cannot be cleansed away. I haul the first taxi I see and just as I'm about to get in I see Christian running back, soaked. God, he looks like shit too. _Fuck him!_

Our eyes meet and ….I can't figure out what's going on in there. I don't even want to read him anymore. My mind is set up. No more. No one. I grimace in pain as the car door opens and bangs into my arm just as I'm getting inside.

"_Evergreen Point Road, Medina." _

I give out Gordon's address and lie in the taxi. I don't want to know if Christian is looking at me or simply brushed me off and went inside. It's hurting too much.

I cry out loud and moan as I turn about, my arm is hurting so much, it's painful to hold it in one place.

"Are you okay there, Miss?" The taxi driver is worried.

I sniffle and look at him. In trying to compose myself I burst again into louder sobs.

"Just drive, please!" I manage to say.

"Suit yourself." He mumbles something else under his breath.

I don't care for any conversation right now, I need to reach Gordon's house.

After a short while the car slows down and stops outside the gate where Gordon lives. His parents left him the house when they moved away last month. Everything that happened affected them so much they needed a clean start. The gate is closed and there is no reply from the intercom. I lie in the back of the taxi, in pain, silently crying and keeping still because if I move, the shooting pain will come again. After a while, I hear a sound coming from outside.

"Gordon went away this morning." One of his staff members talk into the intercom. "He and Pamela will be back tomorrow evening."

_Damn! I completely forgot about their weekend away! _

"Where now?" The driver turns to me.

"Hospital, please." I whisper and wipe the tears rolling down my face.

As the car drives away I hear the intercom fading in the distance.

"Who shall I say has called in?"

x

During the ride, I see the taxi driver glancing at me, checking if I'm okay. I'm not crying but now my focus has shifted to my arm. It hurts so much.

We stop outside Virginia Mason Hospital and after paying him, I mumble my thanks and leave the car. Looking and feeling dreadful, I stagger inside.

The reception area is full of people, all needing more help than me so I sit in the corner and exhale. Don't know why I did that. And I start again. Another wave of loneliness, of hurt, of his face, shouting at me: "Am I'm that dense?…_Of course I am!_ He was mine up to an hour ago and now…now….I sniffle and cover my face with my hand, sobbing into it quietly. The silence in the room is so loud that I can hear myself, together with everyone else, and, I notice someone standing next to me. A nurse or a doctor. I don't want to look up. They'll ask me if I'm okay and what would I say? I'm fine?

"Arghh!" Whoever is standing next to me takes me by my upper arms, not realising I'm in severe pain and I scream.

"Oh god, Ana, is that you?"

I look up and see Patrick… _Patrick!_

I jump into his arms; I need someone to embrace me, and right now, anyone would do. I wrap my arm around his neck while the other is limp, hanging next to me.

"What's happened? Are you okay, Ana?" He is worried. "Nurse! Nurse, I need some assistance in here!"

The nurse rushes in with a wheelchair and puts me in it but I hold Patrick's hand and don't let it go. I can't afford to be alone right now. And I cry, my face hidden in his hand.

"Did he do this to you?" He asks quietly and then mumbles to himself. "I knew it!"

I shake my head.

"No… I fell."

"That's what everyone says." He sighs. "Don't patronise me Ana."

"No...Patrick, trust me. I fell." I talk nasally as I'm ushered into one of the rooms. He closes it behind me and sits down next to me.

"Ana, it's okay. You can tell me. I see everything in here, being a doctor, and I know domestic violence when I see one."

"Patrick, he never laid a finger on me… you have it all wrong."

"Let me see what's wrong with your arm." Sighing exasperatedly, he does not believe one word I say. He reaches out and feels my arm but I cringe in pain. 'What happened?'

"I tripped and fell." I say quietly.

He is applying pressure with his fingers from my forearm to the shoulder and it's clear at one place that I cannot bare his touch.

"It looks like it's broken." He concludes. "We'll sort it out for you, Ana. Don't you worry. I'll take care of you." He reassures me.

x

An hour later and I'm lying in the same bed with a cast over my arm and shoulder. My bone cracked from my weight as I fell on it, so they fixed me and gave me something to calm down.

I'm still groggy when I open my eyes and, I feel someone holding my hand...why am I disappointed to see Patrick by my side? Hm. He's the one who's always been there for me.

I hear the door quietly opening and closing and, lifting my head, I see _him_. Christian's face has so many emotions painted over it, it's difficult to know what he wants, why he is here. He is sad, angry...hurt? He is looking at me…I stare at him too…waiting on him to say something…sorry, or anything.

He looks at Patrick, still holding my hand and I quickly retrieve it from his grasp.

"Why are you here? What happened?" He asks calmly.

"I don't think that should be your concern anymore, Mr. Grey."

He looks at Patrick and then turns to me. "Ana, what happened?"

I look away, towards the window. I don't know what to say….In fact, I don't want to say anything. I sense him sitting down next to me, on the bed.

"Ana, about this morning..."

"I knew it!" Patrick victoriously cries out. "Ana, you should report him to the police! He cannot hurt you like this anymore!"

He tries hard to ignore Patrick, I know. "Anastasia, what happened? Did someone hurt you?" His voice firmer, expecting a reply.

"Patrick, please leave us."

"But he could…" He objects.

"Leave."

As Patrick leaves the room we are left to stew in our silence. I don't intend to say anything. I'm still hurt.

"Speak to me. What happened to you?" He orders.

"I couldn't get out of there fast enough." I whisper. "I tripped. Fell on my arm."

He looks away, annoyed, and back at me again.

"Okay Ana, look I 'm sorry for ...for.."

"If you want to have a baby with someone else, don't apologize, please." I quietly cut him off.

"No…no. that's not it."

I shake my head in disbelief.

"I wanted that baby because….well, actually, I didn't want the baby but…well, to be honest, I'm not sure what I wanted." He stutters but then, realizing how ridiculous he sounds, he sighs out loud.

I look away, into the window and smile dismally to myself. _How could I have been so stupid?_

"Ana," he sighs again. "I'm a bad man, Ana, and you know it. I took a life and, no matter what the courts say, inside, I feel guilty. And deep down I thought, until I do something good to correct my past, I can't get rid of it and built my future."

"And being a father would do that?"

"Can you think of any other way I can repent my sin? A life for a life."

I just shake my head at his reasoning.

"Ana, can I tell you something?" His voice is softer. "I would have reacted exactly the same if the baby was mine. I don't know what I want; simply, all I want is to right my wrong. But I cannot change what has been done. This morning I realized, my past is the only thing that keeps me from having a future. I want to marry you, see the world with you but… you deserve someone better."

"That's not true, Christian." I whisper.

"That was the only thing I was afraid of and it's exactly what happened. My past foiling my future." He continues.

"Are you listening?"

"Ana, I…I've been through so much. Whenever something happens I go in defense mode which, for me, is being alone. That way I cannot hurt anyone else. The control I crave is for one reason and one reason only, to keep the people I love safe."

"Christian, I know how you feel… I've been there."

My eyes are brimming with tears; it feels like he is pushing me away, and it's killing me. Our eyes lock and while I gaze at his steely grey, a single tear slowly runs down my cheek. He reaches out with his hand, wiping it gently from my face.

"Don't push me away…" I lean into his hand and few more tears overflow my eyes as I blink.

"I'm not..."

"It feels like you are.."

He kisses my cheek, right over my tears.

"You are the sole reason I fight my demons so fiercely. With you,_ I want_ to be vulnerable. Yes, I want to be a father, one day but..."

"If it's a child you want, I'll give you more than one." I smile through my tears.

"I do...I don't know…all I know is that I want you. _You._ Nothing else."


End file.
